The present invention lies in the railway technology filed. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for setting symmetry in a railway switch system which is installed in particular in a rail sleeper and which has a drive rod and in each case a cam rod connected to a switch blade. The cam rod and the drive rod can be fixedly connected to one another with locking means.
Railway switches are subjected to severe stresses due to influences of the weather and as a result of trains traveling over them. This can result in changes in the adjustments and settings made at the time of mounting. In particular, uniform coverage of closure catches which are assigned to the switch blades are to be ensured by means of an adjustment. In the text which follows, the term adjustment as used here is understood to also refer to the setting of symmetry in a railway switch system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,156 (international PCT publication WO 94/27853) describes a modular railway switch system which is integrated into a hollow sleeper and which is composed of individual modules, which can to a certain extent be optionally replaced.
A railway switch system typically has at least one drive rod which transmits the longitudinal movement generated by a railway switch drive to the switch blades. Switch blades are themselves generally connected to one cam rod each in this context. Because most railway administrations demand a further electrical insulation means between the left-hand and right-hand switch blades as well as further insulation from the drive rod, an attachment part which is arranged in an insulated fashion and which permits force to be transmitted from the drive rod to the cam rod is provided. The spatial conditions are very limited in a hollow sleeper. As a result, the accessibility of the components is made much more difficult. Necessary re-adjustments are consequently associated with the removal of individual components or modules and with tedious manual work. However, the initial mounting and adjustment can also be considerably adversely affected by the tight spatial conditions. In such a context, it should be possible to make the settings to a resolution of approximately 1 mm.
It is also desirable to be able to use parts of railways switch systems repeatedly, and function components should thus be independent of the respective design and dimensions. In particular it is desirable for parts to be capable of being used independently of the track gauge.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a device for setting the symmetry in a rail point switch, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which permits adjustment and setting of symmetry in the railway switch system to be carried out flexibly and easily and with the required resolution.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a device for setting symmetry in a railway switch system, comprising:
a drive rod;
a cam rod connected to a switch blade of a railway switch system; and
a locking device releasably locking said cam rod and said drive rod to one another;
wherein, with said locking means released, said cam rod and said drive rod are displaceable relative to one another in grid steps, and said locking device is configured to lock said cam rod and said drive rod with a positive lock.
In other words, by virtue of the fact that the cam rod and the drive rod can be displaced relative to one another in a grid when the locking device is released and can be fixedly connected to one another using the locking means by means of a positive lock, the setting of symmetry in a railway switch system can easily be performed with the grid corresponding to the required resolution.
In this way, the following advantages can be additionally be obtained:
i) With an attachment flange embodied as a center attachment or as a side attachment it is possible for the device according to the invention to be applied for standard gauge, wide gauge and even narrow gauge railway switch systems.
ii) Coarse adjustment can be achieved with two bore holes and/or by means of an asymmetrical arrangement of the bore holes in the attachment element, and permits flexible adaptation to the respective gauge.
iii) A taper in the bearing bolt prevents rotary application of force to parts of a railway switch system, said rotary application of force being brought about by a change in length of the switch blades owing to temperature fluctuations over the years.
iv) The positive lock formed by means of key tracks and associated adjustment keys and a main key ensures frictional coupling between the drive rod and cam rod even when the locking screws are partially released.
v) The protection plate forms a double protection function: it prevents the locking screws being released and prevents lateral displacement of the adjustment keys and of the main key.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a device for setting symmetry in a railway switch system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.